• Leagues & Organizations

The Erie Codgers is a group of 50-year-old and older softball players who aren’t ready to give up their childhood obsession with the greatest game ever invented. There are Codgers from the age of 50 through 80+. Games are played primarily at 11th and 12th and Hess, in Erie, PA.
There is a morning league that plays on Monday and Wednesday mornings, around 9 am (early summer to mid-August). There is an evening league that plays on Tuesday and Thursday nights, at 6 pm. The evening league runs from mid-August through mid-October. You can play in the morning, you can play at night, or you can play at both times.

There are additional games, apart from the scheduled league games, that are played against teams from Buffalo, Titusville, and Oil City. The Codgers are always looking for teams to add to their schedule. It’s become an annual event for some of the guys to take a road trip to Florida, with some of the guys from Buffalo, for 5 to 7 days, and play teams from along the east coast of the country (or at least, that’s their story).

The game is slow pitch softball with an arc of 6 to 12. The teams field 13 players at a time, consisting of 7 infielders and 6 outfielders. This makes it easier when you’re in the field, because you don’t have to cover as much ground. At the same time, it makes it harder when batting, because there isn’t a lot of open ground left. Everyone bats during the game.

There is no sliding (to prevent injuries). You can over-run any base (to prevent injuries). Every out, at a base, is a force out (to prevent injuries). At any time, you can ask for a runner (to prevent injuries). There are no umpires. The first and third base coaches act as umpires. There are players limited to certain positions due to physical capabilities. There are Codgers that played in college. There are Codgers that never stopped playing. There are Codgers that never played before.

Currently, there are 4 teams in the league. Every year the core players of each team are kept intact. But with players joining and leaving the league, the teams are re-evaluated each year, to make sure they remain competitive. There aren’t any tryouts. Anybody that wants to play is placed on a team.

It’s a very relaxed atmosphere, with a lot of camaraderie. If one team doesn’t have enough players for the game at hand, players are recruited from the other teams. Pizza and beer or pop seem to follow every game, along with tales of hard hits and great plays.

Occasionally, additional games are also played during the weekend. These games are usually pickup games or games against teams from other 50 and older leagues. There is always a picnic to enjoy after any weekend games. Some Codgers come just to partake in the picnic.